<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Karl Malone's return to the basketball court could be months away, if he comes back at all. The Los Angeles Lakers said Friday they don't know if the 41-year-old forward will play this season. Malone, who had surgery on his right knee at the end of June, is a free agent and reportedly is being pursued by several teams. "Our understanding is he's not going to be ready to return for a couple months," Lakers spokesman John Black said. "We're hopeful he does decide to play another season and he decides to play for us." Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, refused comment. In July, he disputed reports that Malone had decided to retire. The second-leading scorer in NBA history, Malone played 18 seasons with the Utah Jazz before joining the Lakers last summer. </div> Full Story
Even though I'd love to see him in a Lakers jersey this season, he needs to stop toying with the organization and make a decision. I really don't think it's a good idea to sit around and let the Lakers adjust to their new lineup, miss training camp, and then be a walk-on and start for us at power forward, because that's the idea I'm getting now. It's one thing to sign a minimum-salary player and place him on the bench during the season...but it's another thing to take a potential starter (and a big part of the defense) and put him in the starting five after the whole Laker offense has been dug up and changed from last year. I hope he makes this decision quick.
Even though I'd love to see him in a Lakers jersey this season, he needs to stop toying with the organization and make a decision.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Even though I'd love to see him in a Lakers jersey this season, he needs to stop toying with the organization and make a decision.</div> I agree. I like the defensive matchups we have against the big guns in the west (Spurs and Wolves) with Malone in the lineup, but I don't think Malone will be a Laker next year. Malone proved by leaving Utah that he will play for the team that he feels will win it all. Last year he thought that team was the Lakers. If he knew the Pistons would win it all last year, he would have tried to become a Piston. This year the "popular" choice for NBA champs aren't the Lakers, so I think he will try to go to one of the teams that is. But if he stays or goes it doesn't matter, the Lakers are still gonna have a great season and suprise a lot of people.
I agree realdeal. I would like Malone back, but he needs to make his mind up, so Rudy T can start figuring out what he has to work with.
As much as I would like to see Malone leaves L.A he will probably come back... trenchteam is right though he needs to make a choice so that Rudy T can figure out what he has to do in order for the team to win...
If Malone makes his way back to the Lakers, we can move Lamar Odom down to SF, with Butler off the bench for him and Grant off the bench for Malone. It'll be nasty. C - Vlade/Mihm PF - Malone/Grant SF - Odom/Butler SG - Kobe/Rush PG - Atkins/Vujacic Now if we can get a decent PG (even Banks), we'll be sitting on a 3rd seed easily, possibly more depending on how well the Kobe/Odom/Malone trio works.
Why don't you guys offer him a main course instead of chips.. take the chunk off kobe's salary..he doesn't even deserve that much..if kobe really cared about the lakers he'd get a pay cut and at least give more to malone because malone deserves it more than he does anyways..plus malone will actually use the money to good use..because he's a moral person and a role model to all nba fans
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting drm2dnk:</div><div class="quote_post">Why don't you guys offer him a main course instead of chips.. take the chunk off kobe's salary..he doesn't even deserve that much..if kobe really cared about the lakers he'd get a pay cut and at least give more to malone because malone deserves it more than he does anyways..plus malone will actually use the money to good use..because he's a moral person and a role model to all nba fans</div> That doesn't make sense. You can take out a huge part of Kobe's salary (possibly take it out completely) and the Lakers would still be over the cap. We spent our MLE on Vlade Divac...but what everyone should think about is that we can re-sign our own players even if we are over the cap (this is how we were able to re-sign Kobe), so no matter what Kobe makes, we can give Karl a fair amount, more than the vet's minimum that most other teams can only offer him. EDIT: This is also why the Knicks' payroll is over $100 million, but the cap is set at just under $45 million...they re-sign all of their players to bigger contracts.
[quote name='realdealbneal']That doesn't make sense. You can take out a huge part of Kobe's salary (possibly take it out completely) and the Lakers would still be over the cap You expect me to believe that?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting drm2dnk:</div><div class="quote_post">[quote name='realdealbneal']That doesn't make sense. You can take out a huge part of Kobe's salary (possibly take it out completely) and the Lakers would still be over the cap You expect me to believe that?</div> Okay... The Lakers' payroll this year is near $65 million. Kobe is making approx. $14 million this year. Do the math...they end up at $51 million, which is a little more than $6 million over the cap. If this is considered "unbelievable" also, here... Starters... C - Vlade Divac ($4,900,000) PF - Lamar Odom ($10,465,000) SF - Caron Butler ($1,920,560) SG - Kobe Bryant ($14,175,000) PG - Chucky Atkins ($4,200,000) Bench... PF - Brian Grant ($13,346,250) C - Chris Mihm ($3,375,000) SG - Kareem Rush ($1,172,446) PG - Sasha Vujacic ($846,840) SF - Luke Walton ($620,046) PF - Slava Medvedenko ($3,000,000) SF - Jumaine Jones ($1,687,500) IR... SF - Devean George ($4,500,000) PF - Brian Cook ($809,300) PG - Nate Johnson ($385,277) PG - Tony Bobbitt ($385,277) The cap for all teams excluding the Bobcats is just under $45 million, with every team getting an MLE (at $5 million), which as you can see, was spent on Divac. Some teams have an LLE (at $1 million). Also, all teams can sign as many minimum salary players they want...but their minimums depend on how long they've been in the league. Malone is a 10+ year player, so he's considered a veteran...which means he would earn a vet's minimum of $1.1 million or so, which is what most teams could offer him. Simple as that. And on a sidenote...if McGrady deserves his salary, Kobe does also.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting drm2dnk:</div><div class="quote_post"> You expect me to believe that?</div> Ha! Do your math before posting...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting realdealbneal:</div><div class="quote_post">Okay... The Lakers' payroll this year is near $65 million. Kobe is making approx. $14 million this year. Do the math...they end up at $51 million, which is a little more than $6 million over the cap. If this is considered "unbelievable" also, here... Starters... C - Vlade Divac ($4,900,000) PF - Lamar Odom ($10,465,000) SF - Caron Butler ($1,920,560) SG - Kobe Bryant ($14,175,000) PG - Chucky Atkins ($4,200,000) Bench... PF - Brian Grant ($13,346,250) C - Chris Mihm ($3,375,000) SG - Kareem Rush ($1,172,446) PG - Sasha Vujacic ($846,840) SF - Luke Walton ($620,046) PF - Slava Medvedenko ($3,000,000) SF - Jumaine Jones ($1,687,500) IR... SF - Devean George ($4,500,000) PF - Brian Cook ($809,300) PG - Nate Johnson ($385,277) PG - Tony Bobbitt ($385,277) The cap for all teams excluding the Bobcats is just under $45 million, with every team getting an MLE (at $5 million), which as you can see, was spent on Divac. Some teams have an LLE (at $1 million). Also, all teams can sign as many minimum salary players they want...but their minimums depend on how long they've been in the league. Malone is a 10+ year player, so he's considered a veteran...which means he would earn a vet's minimum of $1.1 million or so, which is what most teams could offer him. Simple as that. And on a sidenote...if McGrady deserves his salary, Kobe does also.</div> I'd rather pay Kobe than TMac who quits when things dont go his way rather than fight through it(Comments a fter being 1-17 last year). Anytime you have 2 or more players with max contract, you're gonna go over the cap. For the lakers its Kobe,Odom and Grant. Spurs have done a good job over the last few years with Duncan being the only max contract player. Malik Rose had a big contract too, but they're still under the cap because lots of players still have rookie contracts..But they'll go over the cap next year with Ginobli getting one this year and Parker getting his due next year!!!
Well i'm not the stupid one making the bad decisions..they picked vlade over malone. Malone is healthy this year and injured last season..while vlade is the other way around. I bet these jurassic vets will take a long time to recover..and 6mil over the cap isnt as much as over the cap w/kobe
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting drm2dnk:</div><div class="quote_post">Well i'm not the stupid one making the bad decisions..they picked vlade over malone. Malone is healthy this year and injured last season..while vlade is the other way around. I bet these jurassic vets will take a long time to recover..and 6mil over the cap isnt as much as over the cap w/kobe</div> $6 million is still over the cap though. Bad decisions? Picking up Vlade when he was a free agent was a great decision by the Lakers. We get a passing center who brings a lot of experience to our team. Like I said earlier, the Lakers can still re-sign Malone for more than the vet's minimum...Malone wouldn't be worth $5 million a year anyways, especially after being injured for half of the season, and no team will give him that much. Malone will more than likely be a Laker, or he'll retire. And you say that Kobe's salary is bad? Shaq's is nearly twice as much...so the Heat are the ones dealing with it now, and I'm more than happy that he's gone. Otherwise, the Lakers would be looking at a $30 million salary instead of Kobe's $14 million. Plus, signing one of the best SG's in the league for more than a half a decade is better than signing a guy who's about to retire in 3 years (Shaq).
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting drm2dnk:</div><div class="quote_post">Malone is healthy this year and injured last season..while vlade is the other way around. </div> Where did you get this news? You sure seem to have have good sources. Malone is not yet 100% and that's the reason he's hesitant to commit to the Lakers. He wants to contribute throughout the season and doesnt want to get injured again and stay on the injured list. It was Makone who asked the Lakers to spend the Mid-level on Vlade to prevent them from getting in a limbo. Malone is not interested in money anymore. He's ready to sign for the veteren's minimum with any team with a chance to win a championship. At the start of last season, he has 2 goals * Take over all time scoring record from Kareem * Win a championship Now, that he did not win the finals last year, he does not care about them anymore. He still needs to get away from the pain from his mother passing away, his knee injury and the loss in the finals, before he can think of commiting to play another season. But from the looks of it, it may be the last time we have seen Malone on the basketball court.
Yeah resources say that he's recovering..his decision to play for the lakers has nothing to do with his injury because it says that he'll be 100% in the next couple of months ...u sound like that wacko cocky dallas owner..are you him? Well that's all ima put on you because you're just a sore loser who knows that a texan team has gotten above dallas..well come to think of it ..dallas hasn't won any rings no matter how rich that wacko gets from another lottery..once you get 2 straight rings..talk to the hand
If Malone rejoins the Lakers he is stupider then I thought. Seriously he sold out and abandon the Utah Jazz and took a huge pay cut so he could get a free ride to the championship. Now after having his image smeared by his selfish defection(i think thats the right word) to the Lakers he's going to resign with them when their barely, if at all, going to make the playoffs. He should do the smart thing and join up with the Spurs so he can get his silly ring and retire like the turncoat he is.
